From Sharne Wolff…
Once arrested in his youth for dancing in the middle of the street, actor Woody Harrelson is also responsible for the quote that “we don’t fight wars for democracy we fight wars for capitalism and for oil”. Titled after the less-desired type of crude – the other of which has a sweeter taste and name – eX de Medici’s Sour Crude announces the irony in the works that comprise this show.
eX de Medici – Big Fantasy (M16), 2015
So pretty at first glance, de Medici’s new series of neo-baroque watercolours are assembled like a troop of entrancing tricks. While on one level guns, rifles and military paraphernalia bathed in swirls of rainbow coloured pastels might [almost] be quite at home in a toyshop, a closer examination reveals their essence as camouflage for the cosy relationship between corporate oil interests and war. Requiring both patience and skill, tiny and elegant corporate logos float in and around serious weapons and war insignia – perhaps proof that de Medici’s years of experience as a tattoo artist can’t help but inform her art. Often used as symbols of war propaganda, flowers and floral décor are prevalent in de Medici’s paintings alongside oily tear-like drips. While concurrently referencing symbols of both female and male genders, life and death, beauty and horror, de Medici’s message is both defiant and unique.
Until July 18
Sullivan and Strumpf, Zetland.
Pic: ex De Medici Big Fantasy (M16) 2015 watercolour on paper, 114 x 214cm. Courtesy the artist and Sullivan and Strumpf. Photograph: Mark Pokorny.
